NPR Contributor Admits This Program is on the Cutting Edge

RUSH: Every now and then, folks, the truth surfaces, a truth that happens every day, a reality that exists every day but is never known, sometimes it surfaces. Last night on C-SPAN they had a special programming series, Media Figures on the Future of News. Did you watch that, Snerdley? I know you're a C-SPAN guy. You didn't? He's a C-SPAN addict. Media Figures on the Future of News. It was taped March 27th, aired last night for the first time. The panel included a contributor to NPR, Amy Dickinson and also Mary Matalin. Amy Dickinson, a contributor to NPR said this about listening to my program.

DICKINSON: During the day, after Morning Edition I actually listen to Rush Limbaugh every day. You can almost set a clock when a story surfaces on Limbaugh, it's literally days before it surfaces elsewhere. They actually do cover stories that are not being covered elsewhere. Many days I hate myself.

RUSH: That's being on the cutting edge, what I've always told you about being on the cutting edge. If you listen regularly here you will hear about it before you hear it anywhere else. There's another bite where she explains why she hates herself. She hates herself because she gets scooped. I mean did you hear what she said? She says, look, you could almost set a clock, when a story surfaces on Limbaugh it's literally days before I see it anywhere else. They actually do cover stories on Limbaugh that are not being covered elsewhere, many days I hate myself. She means for missing the story. So Mary Matalin reacted, and they had a little conversation.

MATALIN: Rush is a conservative in the old-fashioned Edmund Burke rational. His daddy, his whole family comes from a family of brilliant jurists, and he's really smart and he prepares hard. If you disagree with his opinion, you may think it's shallow, but in addition to preparation, which takes really complex ideas and reduces them to clarity and enough to inspire you to want to dig deeper for yourself, he's very, very entertaining. My husband loves him. All the liberals I know, they laugh out loud.

DICKINSON: He's really good on process. He's really, really good on politics and I've learned a lot from listening to Rush Limbaugh.

RUSH: That is Amy Dickinson, the contributor to NPR, and then she continued. They finally had this exchange to wrap up the discussion they had on me on C-SPAN March 27th, but aired last night for the first time.

DICKINSON: I hate the fact that I feel like he shills for himself a lot of, like excessively. (imitating Rush) "I went on an awesome golf holiday weekend." There's like hours of that. Do you think that when Rush Limbaugh golfs for eight days at this certain resort that he keeps naming over and over and over, do you think maybe there's --

MATALIN: Rush has enough money to pay for his own hotel rooms. He's a hugely generous person, and it would be helpful to whatever that resort is, but I doubt that they would be paying him. He doesn't like to take gifts.

RUSH: What is this, now? So all of a sudden Amy Dickinson has turned into a stick-to-the-issues person. When have I ever spoken about eight days playing golf? Now, there is my annual golf vacation in Hawaii with my buddies, it does span about seven or eight days, but I don't spend seven or eight days talking about it. And we don't stay in a resort. We stay at a guy's house. And I don't mention where it is. But Mary Matalin's right, I don't accept comps or freebies. (interruption) What do you mean it's a setup? Oh, that's what you think this is? They want me to support NPR funding? Oh, man, are you really conspiratorial. Snerdley thinks that she's not being serious here. You think that Amy Dickinson's basically making all this up so that I will lead a fundraising drive for NPR?

All right, here's the bottom line. If I scoop NPR, why do we need 'em? If she's out there saying that I scoop NPR, why do we need NPR? Do you really think that Amy Dickinson's plan here is that I'm gonna turn into a big NPR supporter after this? I know she had to find something bad to say and if I were inclined to go easy on NPR she just kind of blew that here. You want to talk about -- what did she say here, shills for myself? I probably shill the least for myself than anybody else out there. Do I end every show -- nevermind. Never mind. I don't talk about the merchandise. I don't talk about the Newsletter to the chagrin of people involved in it. I don't. At any rate, just a little interesting stuff happened on C-SPAN last night, I gotta take a brief time-out, it's Open Line Friday, and by the way, does NPR ever shill? I mean that's really all they do, isn't it, is shill? How can talking about a golf trip be shilling anyway?

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Here's Peter in Manhattan. It's great to have you on the program, sir. Welcome.

CALLER: Rank amateur dittos, Rush.

RUSH: Thank you, sir.

CALLER: A little bit earlier in the show you were talking about the NPR correspondent and Mr. Snerdley alluded to a conspiracy which you kind of dismissed out of hand, but I really think there is a conspiracy here.

RUSH: Well, let's review for people who may not have heard it. Grab audio sound bite number one. Just play that one. We don't need to play all three, just the first sound bite of Amy Dickinson. On C-SPAN last night they had a special program: "Media Figures and the Future of News." This was taped on March 27th and aired last night. Here's Amy Dickinson talking about me...

(replaying of sound bite)

RUSH: Now, Snerdley thinks this is all a conspiracy designed to get me sucked in here to end up supporting NPR and --

CALLER: No, not exactly.

RUSH: -- I pooh-poohed that.

CALLER: You go on C-SPAN, which I think has less viewers than CNN, and the only way you get recognition is to mention your name. But she compliments you and says that you're right and you're on the cutting edge, ensuring that she'll be fired from NPR -- which is the fastest way to a gig on Fox News.

RUSH: Oh. Ohhh! So you think she's angling for a step up?

CALLER: Absolutely.

RUSH: She mentioned my name in a positive way on C-SPAN because, as an NPR employee, she'll get canned?

CALLER: And then you get picked up by Fox News. That's the fastest path to career advancement.

RUSH: Well, that is. It is true. Being fired at NPR is maybe a quick ticket to Fox. I hadn't thought of that. You may have a point, but as to Snerdley's conspiracy theory: Snerdley, you disappoint me a little bit. Do you really think that simply because an NPR reporter admits the truth, that that's gonna turn my head and make me swoon? Do you really think, Snerdley, that somebody sitting there from NPR and appraising me is gonna make me become a giant pro-fundraising agent for NPR? (interruption) Mmm-hmm. There are a lot of reporters in 22 years who have told me the truth.

Okay, maybe she's the first NPR reporter to tell the truth about me, but the idea that you think that's gonna make me melt and become an agent for fundraising for NPR? You know, you're telling me more about yourself and what you think. You know, you're telling me that if some female reporter at NPR started singing your praises that you would melt. That's what you're telling me, and then you're using projection. You're telling... (interruption) Well, you know ME better than that. (interruption) No, it's got nothing to do with what she looks like, and you could find out what she looks like. It was television. That doesn't matter to me. You're just projecting on me. I'm not gonna be wowed by somebody saying I tell the truth, even if it is somebody from NPR.